https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dideJiT4Khw
Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our combined written and live Sunday sermon, which is normally broadcast every Sunday. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love, sharing the Word of God, the Spirit of Jesus Christ in a way that we believe embraces the ways Jesus taught us to manage. We bring His Word to the many as opposed to the few, in order to continue the legacy created by the ministry of Jesus Christ.
You will find us in the following location: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Rev. Laura’s other sites: Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin & USAlife & YouTube & Twitch & TruthSocial & Instagram & Facebook
Wedding officiant page: Wedfolio & Wedding Chicks
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list grows or changes every week. This is our current list.
- We continue to pray for JB & EB’s neighbor Jerry who is facing prostate cancer treatment.
- We bring JB’s sister Debbie back into prayer as she has now been diagnosed with Lymphoma after conquering two rounds of breast cancer.
- We continue our prayers for Evangelist Cal Jennings, that his health becomes steadier than it has been for far too long. We pray that his medical needs are fully met, and he has all that he requires for comfort and peace. He is still very, very weak, and has issues breathing and more.
- We continue to pray for my sister-in-law Fran who is fighting cancer and undergoing treatment.
- We continue our prayers for JB and EB as they navigate through the maze of medical tests and specialists to get all the answers that they need in both of their health issues. They are continually frustrated with the runaround they have been getting with the various referrals. JB has been especially sick, losing weight way too fast and no complete solution in sight at the moment. The doctor has started her taking a ton of medication to see if that can assist, but it is slow going.
- We continue to pray for a friend of ours, Alexis, who is in desperate need to improve her current situation and has set up a site for donations to help her with this. If you want more information, send me a private message and I’ll pass on the information.
- We continue with our prayers for my niece Autumn, who has been suffering seizures due to a head injury from a car crash, though, according to her mother she is doing better these days.
- We continue to pray for my Mama who has had a lot of anxiety issues lately after the loss of my sister two months ago. This on top of her still suffering from the loss of my father in 2021 due to COVID-19.
- We continue to pray for all sufferers and survivors of the various types of cancer, including several survivors of the disease, JB’s sister Debbie, our friend Alexis, my Aunt Donna, and my friend Kelly.
- We pray for those who are in the path of dangerous weather, and other dangerous conditions, including wildfires, storms, flooding, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, worldwide.
- We pray for the various outreach ministries we have joined with, with their leaders, Pastor Stephen Okoth, Pastor Simon Peter Javaji, Pastor Amir Aneel, Sister Santhi Swaroopa, Pastor Duke Moenga, and others in Kissee, Nairobi, and other places in Kenya, Pakistan, and India.
- We pray also for our American outreach ministries, including Rev. Lisa Tyler on the other side of Georgia from where I am and Rabbi Karen L. Hertzog with her ministry, Way Maker Messianic Jewish and Christian Center – USA as well.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we have so much and so many to pray for. We pray for all those who have been displaced due to war and destruction, natural disaster, and more. We pray for peace to fill this world at long last. We pray for those who have lost loved ones to violence, accidents, and more this week. We pray for safety of those who are traveling at the end of this next week for the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S.A. We pray for the those who have been sick with cancer, including Jerry, Fran, Debbie, and others. We pray for those who have survived cancer, like J.B., Alexis, Donna, and others we know. We pray in thanksgiving for those who have healed from sickness around this world. We pray for the orphans, refugees, and missionaries around this world. We pray for our outreach ministries that they continue through even in the face of adversity in Your Name. We pray all this in the name of our Savior Yeshua, Jesus Christ, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.
* Happy Birthday to our Aunt Donna, who celebrates one week from today.
Opening Song: Give Thanks Cal Jennings Version
Sermon: Today we are pausing in our study of 1st Corinthians to work on the week of Thanksgiving and also to spend the rest of the year on the study of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ in the season known as Advent, which starts next Sunday and continues through until the first Sunday after the New Year, January 4th, which is known as Epiphany. Since there are only three gospel versions of the birth of our Savior, those are what we will focus on for three of the five Sundays. The first Sunday of Advent will be spent learning all the foreshadowing of the birth of our Savior. This means we will hear about the promises provided to the prophets and kings of the Jews through the Old Testament regarding the Savior Yeshua’s birth. So how do we celebrate Thanksgiving in Scripture? There are a great many ways we could do this.
The Old Testament shows prophets and kings all speaking and singing in Thanksgiving. We start with one entry from the Torah.
Leviticus 7:13-15 KJV – Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. 14 And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the Lord, and it shall be the priest's that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings. 15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.
NIV – Along with their fellowship offering of thanksgiving they are to present an offering with thick loaves of bread made with yeast. 14 They are to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the fellowship offering against the altar. 15 The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning.
Now we have insights from the prophets Ezra, Nehemiah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah along with insight from King David.
Ezra 3:11 KJV – And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
NIV – With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
Nehemiah 11:17 KJV – And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer: and Bakbukiah the second among his brethren, and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
NIV – Mattaniah son of Mika, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the director who led in thanksgiving and prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his associates; and Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
Nehemiah 12:8 KJV – Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, which was over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren.
NIV – The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and also Mattaniah, who, together with his associates, was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving.
Nehemiah 12:24-27 KJV – And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward. 25 Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the ward at the thresholds of the gates.26 These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.
NIV – And
the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel,
and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving,
one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God.
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub
were gatekeepers who guarded the storerooms at the gates. 26 They
served in the days of Joiakim son of Joshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the
days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law.
Dedication of the Wall of Jerusalem
27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were
sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate
joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of
cymbals, harps and lyres.
Nehemiah 12:46 KJV – For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.
NIV – For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the musicians and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
Psalm 69:30 KJV – I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
NIV – I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 95:2 KJV – Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
NIV Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
Psalm 100:4 KJV – Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
NIV – Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Isaiah 51:3 KJV – For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
NIV – The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
Jeremiah 30:19 KJV – And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
NIV
–From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing.
I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them
honor, and they will not be disdained.
There is more to look at when it comes to praise and thanksgiving. Now we’ll focus on the New Testament. Did you realize that Paul prayed in thanksgiving more than fifteen times in his letters to the various churches? Yes, we’ve studied nearly all of those fifteen instances too. He prayed in thanksgiving in his letters to Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae with Timothy, Thessalonica, and Lystra with Philemon. Here are those representations of prayers in thanksgiving, most of which we have already studied.
1 Corinthians 1:4 KJV – I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
NIV –I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 10:16 KJV –The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
NIV –Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
1 Corinthians 14:16 KJV –Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
NIV –Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying?
2 Corinthians 4:15 KJV –For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
NIV –All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 9:11 KJV – Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
NIV – You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Ephesians 1:15 KJV – Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
NIV – For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,
Ephesians 5:4 KJV – Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
NIV – Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
Philippians 1:3 KJV – I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
NIV – I thank my God every time I remember you.
Philippians 4:6 KJV – Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
NIV – Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Colossians 1:3 KJV – We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
NIV –We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
1 Thessalonians 1:2 KJV –We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
NIV –We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.
2 Thessalonians 1:3 KJV –We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
NIV –We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.
1 Timothy 2:1 KJV –I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
NIV –I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—
1 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV –Forbidding to marry, and
commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with
thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused,
if it be received with thanksgiving:
NIV –They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
2 Timothy 1:3 KJV –I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
NIV – I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
Philemon 1:4 KJV – I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,
NIV – I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,
Thanksgiving and giving thanks are very, very important parts of our faith and portraying it. We have a reason to give thanks. We have a reason to bring truth and forgiveness. Praying in thanksgiving is as important as praising Him. Being thankful is more than just saying thank you. It’s proving that you are thankful for the things that you have, the hope for tomorrow, the faith you allow to grow, friends, family, and everything else that God has provided for you. Peace, Hope, Truth, and Love have a name, and His name is Yeshua, known by most as Jesus Christ, who comes from the great Jehovah God our Heavenly Father. It is through the life death, and eternal legacy of Jesus Christ that we are here today. Now, let’s show each other how faith and belief in God go hand in hand, and all of us have the opportunity to walk in the faithful steps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The ability to do this requires us to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you are willing to do so, please leave me a note in the comments and I’ll be in touch. Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer that Jesus taught us.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13)
Closing Song: Here I Am Lord
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin & Twitch & USAlife
Evangelist Calvin Jennings
Covenant of Hope Ministries Main Site: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition: Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright ©circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press, The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA, USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2025 http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries is not to
exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is
created through fear
together as the bringers of the
light of Jesus found in the midst of darkness.
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